Ear Infection, Ds Research & Potty training, oh my

I am sure you have all panicked at the lack of posts recently! 

Well, we have been combating an ear infection, congestion and the monster of them all, TEETHING! FIVE, yes, FIVE little piranha teeth coming in all at one time. I would say they are the culprit of the ear infection. 

I have been running on … I don’t know what because I don’t think there is anything of anything left in me. Sleepless nights, doctors appointments, then there is the other kids and the husband to care for! Yes, I have been a mess and I have the hair to prove it. 

But I am mother, and you moms know how it is, we have some sort of human powers at times and we make it all happen, and at the end of the night, sometimes, there might be a smile…sometimes. 

And just when we thought everything was getting better, Ethan develops a rash. Looks like he had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, and there we go again, back to the doctor. 

Today, there was no rash, and Ethan was back to smiling and back to brat-ness… I anticipate better days to come!

In the mist of all of this I still managed to get a lot of other stuff accomplished. We attended a Research Ds  presentation and a  Potty Training class. Great stuff.

1^st, let me just state the obvious; Down syndrome research is highly underfunded. Most donations for cognitive and memory research comes from private donations. We are still long ways from getting a med FDA approved and out in the market. They anticipate another 10 years before something is available, and there is something available. But due to lack of funds and just the process it has to go through, it’s going to be a while. For more information visit www.researchDS.org

And lastly potty training. (We are not here yet, and I am in no way an expert =), we will however be starting the sitting on the potty very soon.)

Here are few tips:

 With a child with Ds DON’T wait for when THEY are ready, cause guess what, they will never be ready if you leave it up to them. Regardless of what people think of our kids, our kids are BRILLIANT and they find ways out of things, and they will manipulate you,… oh, they will! Ethan has us wrapped around his tiny pudgy finger, and HE KNOWS IT.

Start sitting your child on the potty as soon as they can sit up. Get them used to the feeling of sitting on the potty. Make it a routine, ex. after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner. Just sit them there for a minute or so.

Don’t make it fun! Don’t bring in toys and books into the restroom. Don’t give the child a reason to become distracted. 

When you are actively potty training your child, stick to the underwear! Don’t confuse the child with one day a diaper, the next day with underwear. Be consistent. Plus the underwear gives them the sensation of being wet. Pick a long weekend when there is absolutely nothing else to do. I have seen where people have taken a whole week off from work, others a long holiday weekend. 

If they wet themselves, let the urine run down their legs, then do the run to the potty exercise 6 times in a row. (Run to the potty, pull their underwear down, sit on the potty, get back up run back,… do this 6 times in a row) The concept is, the child should hate to do this so much, they will not want to wet themselves anymore.

And reward them with more drinks! Whatever their favorite drink is, we are trying to fill up their little bladders. Potty training is the only exception where a child can be rewarded with a treat. Keep a treat such as M&M’s or Goldfish, but only use that treat for potty training… “potty treat”. 

If your child is finally able to use the potty, but needs to be reminded of using the potty, alarms and timers work wonders. Set a timer as a reminder that the child needs to go use the potty. Timer goes off, the child goes to the potty. Have the child wear a watch with a timer. 

The sooner we can successfully potty train our children, the better of a chance they have to be able to go to school and be in a fully included kindergarten.